Import/export HS code 391231: Carboxymethylcellulose and its salts
A type of cellulose derivative used as a thickener or stabiliser in food and industrial products
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 7,722,599 |
| Netherlands | 3,422,071 |
| Finland | 3,261,165 |
| Germany | 2,749,002 |
| Switzerland | 2,189,980 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3,592,441 | 4,130,158 | +537,717 |
| Netherlands | 1,721,938 | 1,700,133 | -21,805 |
| Finland | 2,159,134 | 1,102,031 | -1,057,103 |
| Germany | 1,106,776 | 1,642,226 | +535,450 |
| Switzerland | 801,451 | 1,388,529 | +587,078 |
| Belgium | 839,412 | 1,011,220 | +171,808 |
| China | 582,553 | 1,092,011 | +509,458 |
| Italy | 487,739 | 414,078 | -73,661 |
| Ireland | 323,178 | 217,267 | -105,911 |
| Turkey | 320,563 | 91,788 | -228,775 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 8,631,202 |
| Finland | 6,133,665 |
| Germany | 3,298,001 |
| China | 2,101,769 |
| Italy | 1,012,107 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3,890,725 | 4,740,477 | +849,752 |
| Finland | 3,466,560 | 2,667,105 | -799,455 |
| Germany | 1,303,901 | 1,994,100 | +690,199 |
| China | 838,922 | 1,262,847 | +423,925 |
| Italy | 518,925 | 493,182 | -25,743 |
| Turkey | 617,022 | 251,009 | -366,013 |
| Netherlands | 387,998 | 387,756 | -242 |
| Brazil | 351,438 | 421,751 | +70,313 |
| Taiwan | 208,123 | 103,622 | -104,501 |
| Austria | 91,419 | 72,775 | -18,644 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 10 |
| Inner London - West | 8 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 6 |
| Cheshire | 5 |
| Inner London - East | 5 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 5 | 7 | +2 |
| Inner London - West | 7 | 8 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Cheshire | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Inner London - East | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 2 | 3 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 18,591,126 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,184,995 |
| Other | 828,417 |
| Air transport | 712,440 |
| Road transport | 1,140 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 8,821,839 | 9,769,287 | +947,448 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,739,549 | 2,445,446 | -294,103 |
| Other | 306,755 | 521,662 | +214,907 |
| Air transport | 369,223 | 343,217 | -26,006 |
| Road transport | 0 | 1,140 | +1,140 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 6,258,259 |
| Portsmouth | 4,230,478 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,082,104 |
| Felixstowe | 2,850,900 |
| Newhaven | 1,948,262 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 2,815,176 | 3,443,083 | +627,907 |
| Portsmouth | 1,883,666 | 2,346,812 | +463,146 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,469,302 | 1,612,802 | +143,500 |
| Felixstowe | 1,592,284 | 1,258,616 | -333,668 |
| Newhaven | 656,340 | 1,291,922 | +635,582 |
| Purfleet | 759,928 | 233,054 | -526,874 |
| 000 | 306,755 | 521,662 | +214,907 |
| London | 564,020 | 226,664 | -337,356 |
| Harwich | 372,079 | 338,834 | -33,245 |
| Liverpool Docks | 247,441 | 344,373 | +96,932 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
20 |
|
Manufacture of food products
|
11 |
|
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
|
10 |
|
Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations
|
8 |
|
Manufacture of paper and paper products
|
6 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 24 |
| 2026-04 | 24 |
| 2026-03 | 20 |
| 2026-02 | 20 |
| 2026-01 | 22 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| ASHLAND SPECIALTIES UK LIMITED | 53 |
| ESSITY UK LIMITED | 51 |
| BRITVIC SOFT DRINKS LIMITED | 50 |
| DANISCO (UK) LIMITED | 50 |
| AZELIS UK LIMITED | 47 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 45 |
| SCHLUMBERGER OILFIELD UK LIMITED | 45 |
| NORKEM LIMITED | 44 |
| PME CAKE LIMITED | 42 |
| PURATOS LIMITED | 40 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 43 |
| 1m-15m | 28 |
| 15m-54m | 13 |
| 0-1m | 4 |
| Other | 3 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| Turkey | 403,254 |
| United States | 326,476 |
| Ireland | 156,610 |
| Netherlands | 126,683 |
| Germany | 125,259 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 86,604 | 316,650 | +230,046 |
| United States | 268,396 | 58,080 | -210,316 |
| Ireland | 79,653 | 76,957 | -2,696 |
| Netherlands | 104,635 | 22,048 | -82,587 |
| Germany | 97,030 | 28,229 | -68,801 |
| China | 37,140 | 39,784 | +2,644 |
| Bulgaria | 58,912 | 7,463 | -51,449 |
| Spain | 57,000 | 4,895 | -52,105 |
| France | 31,957 | 28,135 | -3,822 |
| Morocco | 50,932 | 0 | -50,932 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 820,815 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 692,441 |
| Air transport | 187,130 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 416,808 | 404,007 | -12,801 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 445,624 | 246,817 | -198,807 |
| Air transport | 91,270 | 95,860 | +4,590 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 396,955 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 316,650 |
| Liverpool Docks | 294,999 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 136,006 |
| Immingham Docks | 100,493 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 282,164 | 114,791 | -167,373 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 0 | 316,650 | +316,650 |
| Liverpool Docks | 244,856 | 50,143 | -194,713 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 51,881 | 84,125 | +32,244 |
| Immingham Docks | 78,208 | 22,285 | -55,923 |
| Holyhead | 27,497 | 47,300 | +19,803 |
| Heysham | 37,314 | 29,657 | -7,657 |
| Portsmouth | 38,355 | 28,135 | -10,220 |
| Aberdeen Docks | 50,932 | 0 | -50,932 |
| Harwich | 38,335 | 0 | -38,335 |
Quick facts
HS code: 391231
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A type of cellulose derivative used as a thickener or stabiliser in food and industrial products